Page 63 of Orange Tundra
Brynn nodded, her renewed strength evident in every movement. "I'm ready for whatever comes next. The crystals have shown me what's possible and—" She giggled.
"What?" Sim and I asked simultaneously.
I helped her sit up, marveling at the transformation. The exhausted, pain-wracked female who had entered this chamber was gone, replaced by the vibrant, glowing woman who had captured our hearts from the beginning. The crystal energy had given her back herself.
"The crystals reminded me of a movie. It was calledSuperman."
"Superman?" Sim raised his eyebrow. Neither he nor I appreciated our mate giggling about another male.
"Yes! In the movie, he came to our planet and the source of his power was crystals. Though the most famous one was the crystal that was his ultimate weakness."
Sim and I exchanged glances. Like theShura, we thought alike. Something to investigate when we were all safe, but this tidbit might be crucial. What if some of our ancestors had reached her planet in the past?
"There's something else," I said, studying the patterns the crystals had displayed during our coupling. Patterns I was certain my cousin Crix would have died to witness. What was happening here represented the culmination of all his dreams.
"The energy formations weren't random. They were diagnostic. The chamber was gathering information about your pregnancy, analyzing genetic markers, measuring compatibility factors."
"What kind of information?" she asked.
I pointed to the lingering light patterns in the crystal matrix. "Gestational timeline, fetal development rates, nutritional requirements, genetic stability markers." My excitement grew as I interpreted the data. "Brynn, this chamber has created a complete medical profile for your pregnancy. It knows exactly what you need to carry multiple hybrid offspring to term."
Sim's eyes widened with understanding. "And that information will be stored in the deeper chambers. The advanced medical facilities will be able to access everything the crystals learned here."
"We have a roadmap," I breathed, the implications hitting me fully. "Not just for temporary relief, but for complete support throughout the pregnancy and birth."
Brynn's hand found mine, squeezing with renewed strength. "Then let's go find those chambers. I feel like I could climb mountains right now."
As we gathered our scattered clothing and prepared to leave the crystal chamber, I felt a surge of hope that had been absent for days. We weren't just stumbling blindly toward uncertain salvation. We had proof that the White Tribe's technology could provide exactly what Brynn needed.
The crystals pulsed one final time as we reached the chamber entrance, their light seeming to follow Brynn with something that looked almost like affection. They had recognized her, accepted her, healed her. Now we just had to reach the place where that healing could become permanent.
"Thank you," she whispered to the crystals, her voice carrying gratitude that seemed to resonate through the chamber walls.
The answering pulse of light felt like a benediction, a promise that greater wonders awaited in the depths of the White Tribe sanctuary.
However, before we could explore further, Xy marched toward us with his don't-fuck-with-me expression. Clitasoxdfwe'h silently followed him.
"Trouble?" Sim inquired.
Clitasoxdfwe'h declared, "We received a message from Coone to meet up with them. However, we also received a message about Zirc."
Brynn stirred between me and Sim.
Before we could react, Xy growled. "The latter came from Roqs' mate."
Brynn gasped while Sim cursed loudly. This changed everything. Roqs' mate had Zirc.
28
BRYNN
The hidden lagoonappeared through the morning mist like something from a fever dream—crystalline water amid black volcanic stone, steam curling from natural hot springs in thin, ghostly veils. Ancient channels carved into the rock still guided the thermal flows, a testament to White Tribe ingenuity that had outlived its creators.
But the scene itself wasn't what made me pause at the lagoon's edge. It was the hush that fell over CG's mercenaries. Seven hardened males—thieves, raiders, survivors of uncounted horrors—froze as soon as I stepped into view, nostrils flaring in unison. Their eyes flicked to my belly, now visibly rounded beneath my tunic. A faint, strangled sound escaped Sinx's throat. It wasn't quite a whimper, more a broken hitch of breath that betrayed pure, animal need.
"Fucking hell," Ferix muttered, voice cracking like a boy's. "She's actually?—"
CG clapped a hand over his nephew's mouth, but the word hung in the air: pregnant. Not just pregnant—carrying the future of their endangered race in my alien womb.
